JP2003520367A - Hot sandwich vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine has a refrigerated area in the form of a refrigerator in which a plurality of storage piles (1) are provided, said piles being disposed on two helicoidal elements (1a) that are separated by vertical partition walls and intended for receiving a sandwich between every pair of spirals. The helicoidal elements are actuated by a gear motor (1b) in such a way that the sandwiches refrigerated in the storage piles are individually supplied to an oven (6) where the bread is finally heated once the coins corresponding to the price of said sandwich have been inserted. Once heated, said sandwiches are supplied individually to the outside of the machine through a pick-up tray located in the door of said machine.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a machine for the vending of hot rolls, said hot roll being based on French bread known as "baguettes". They are pre-made rolls, packaged in heat-resistant plastic bags and filled with an inert gas, undergoing a cryogenic freezing process, refrigerated in the machine and separated in the form of vertical stacks. The machine is equipped with an automatic device that can transport rolls from the vertical stack rows in the storage area to an infrared oven for heating and baking. There is a mechanism that allows the user to remove the product only when it is ready and does not allow the user to access the oven. There is a multimedia panel that shows roll shape, selection control, and deductions. It also displays advertising content and provides users with information and entertainment. It provides a payment-ready method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Solid food vending machines include those based on horizontal spirals, carousels and other types of mechanisms. These machines do not heat or bake the product, they just dispense the product.

Some machines serve hot rolls in the form of sandwiches or hamburgers. However, in the latter, the roll is usually heated in a tin foil based opaque envelope and a hot plate is used, so there is no infrared radiation to the roll surface and the roll is heated but not baked.

The rolls used are not part of the invention and are available on the market, usually like commercial products. The rolls are distributed at various retail stores such as bars, cafeterias, gas stations, and so on. The rolls have the peculiarity that the bread is not completely cooked, so that the worker or consumer can remove the roll from the bag,
And put it in the infrared oven for a few minutes and he / she gets a hot roll of baked and crispy bread. This is a manual procedure and can only be carried out within a certain monitoring area.

We intend a solution that allows automation of this procedure and aim at the development of vending machines for this kind of product.

The heat-resistant plastic used is also not part of the invention, but it is an important feature for correct operation. Transparent plastic sheets can withstand heat above 200 ° C. and are used in the manufacture of roll holding bags. This feature allows the rolls to be baked without removing the rolls from their packaging as is conventional. Therefore, the handling procedure is simplified, the integrity is guaranteed, the generation of crumbs in the machine is prevented, and the final product is provided in the same bag.

[0007]   The inventor is unaware of the existence of vending machines for the same purpose.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In the machine proposed by the invention, there is a refrigerator-like cold area at the rear of the machine, the cold area comprising a support, on which the rolls are stored and protected. ing. These supports consist of a plurality of helices, which are arranged with their longitudinal axes perpendicular and are confined between the vertical walls. The distance between the spiral outline and the wall allows the rolls to be stored in the resulting space,
The roll is positioned generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the helix and is supported by the front and back portions of the next contour. Each support is equipped with an engine capable of rotating the helix about its longitudinal axis, so that each time it makes one revolution, the roll in the lower profile is ejected and the other rolls stored in the corresponding helix are Can be lowered. Placing the helix vertically and letting it eject from the bottom edge is advantageous over the horizontal method because the product does not provide any resistance to movement, but rather the product's own weight aids the movement. . Further, the support deforms if its longitudinal axis is not aligned with the engine axis, so the geared motor can act itself as a brake when it stops.

In the lower part of the refrigeration area, there is a combination of ramps and discharge roll conveying mechanisms, so that the roll is stored in the element, which can convey the roll to the cooking area. It is a tubular element with a recess on its surface and along the longitudinal axis into which one roll fits. The cylinder is driven so that when the roll fills the recess space, the cylinder can rotate to convey the roll to the cooking area. The space between the cylinder and the wall of the refrigeration zone is appropriately isolated so that the heat exchange between the refrigeration zone and the cooking zone is limited. Ensuring thermal isolation is achieved by the fact that the access to the cooking area has no part of the recess space exposed to the refrigerating area and the other part is exposed to the cooking area.

The cooking area consists of a metallic isolation chamber covered with an insulating material, comprising a series of quartz or other similar resistors, which are capable of generating heat and infrared radiation. The applied heat is used to bake bread and heat the inside of the roll. Alternatively, a metallic reflector may be provided to concentrate the radiation on the roll and ensure homogenization. The cooking time is between 2 and 3 minutes and depends on the desired degree of cooking, the thickness of the roll, the degree of bread precooking and the power used.

There are two options for the shape and volume of the cooking area: a) Two simple ovens. The cooking area is divided into two oven isolation rooms. In this case, the transport system is configured such that the recess space can face one oven or the other oven. The grill on which the rolls are baked,
When the door located in front of the machine is open, it can be transported forward to move the roll into the space within the door, allowing the user to remove the roll without access to the oven. b) Continuous oven. Inside the isolation chamber is a continuous conveyor system that can simultaneously transfer various rolls to the discharge area in front of the machine. The rolls are exposed to heat and radiation while they are being moved. Once they reach the front of the oven, the rolls fall onto a tray from which the consumer can collect the finished product. There is an automatic flap that blocks access to the oven. The oven conveyor system is tilted upwards in order to achieve a larger capacity and larger refrigeration area without reducing the height of the product.

Although both options are operational, the second (b) is included in the preferred embodiment in the sense of providing greater production capacity. However, there are also situations in which high level production is not required and option (a) is selected.

To be more specific and for this second option, the oven is constructed on a rack, the rack comprising a rearward-raising transport unit, the transport unit being appropriately driven,
It moves synchronously with the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt is also driven and holds various trays to collect the corresponding rolls, so the transport unit stores each roll on each of the above-mentioned trays and a series of infrared resistance In front of the vessel, moving the tray and roll, the resistors are properly placed on the support set on the aforementioned rack, where the tray rises a noticeable slope, which is the slope of the infrared resistor. Extending the time before, while at the same time allowing for a reduction in the longitudinal dimension of the oven, the aforementioned chain ends in a substantially vertical section, where the hot roll is discharged towards the product outlet. A top lid over the heating resistor blocks heat and gas escape and provides adequate oven protection.

As a complement to the above, the oven is equipped with a front lower grid to allow gas escape. The oven also has a tray on the underside of the conveyor belt for collecting bread crumbs and a rear door to provide access to said tray, so that it can be cleaned periodically if necessary. it can.

For the purpose of supplementing this description and enabling a better understanding of the present invention, an accompanying drawing is attached according to a preferred embodiment of the invention and as an important part of the description, which is It is non-limiting.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the drawings provided, in particular FIGS. 1 to 5, the machine comprises a series of (8 in the illustrated embodiment) storage supports (1). It can be observed that these supports are formed by walls of rigid material and are located in a refrigeration area similar to a refrigerator, the refrigeration area occupying the upper rear part of the machine. These supports (1) consist of a plurality of spirals (1a), which are arranged with their longitudinal axes perpendicular and are divided between the side walls mentioned above. The distance between the contours of adjacent spirals and between the walls allows one roll to be stored in the resulting space, the rolls being arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spiral and the corresponding contours or It is supported on the front and back parts of the helix. Each support has one geared motor (1b)
This geared motor is capable of rotating the spiral about its longitudinal axis, so that with each revolution of the spiral, the roll located in the lower end contour is discharged and stored in the corresponding support. All other rolls that are playing are lowered. One microswitch is designed to indicate the end of one cycle.

At the bottom of the refrigeration area is a hopper, which moves each roll discharged from one storage support (1) into one element (4), which rolls Can be directed to one of the ovens (2) that looks positive in the practical embodiment in Figures 1 to 5 above. The surface of the hopper is smooth and slippery, allowing the roll to roll or slide down its wall into the aforementioned element (4), which is cylindrical and has an axis perpendicular to the axis of the helix. . The tubular element (4) is connected to the shaft of a geared motor to allow pivoting of the element to one or the other to roll the roll in the oven (2).
) Move to one side. The two end stops indicate whether the space within the rolling element faces the storage area, the passage to the left oven or the passage to the right oven. This space should, of course, be suitable for roll holding because of its shape and dimensions.

The walls of the oven are made of a diffusive metallic material and their shape is such that the reflected heat rays on the walls fall evenly on the rolls.

The door of each oven is equipped with a solenoid that can allow the door to open and close to indicate whether the door is closed or open.

Once the roll has fallen onto the grill located in the oven (2), the roll is exposed to the infrared radiation provided by conventional resistors. The oven is designed so that the rolls can receive uniform radiant heat. The time and cycle for exposure to radiant heat are set so that the bread is finished cooking and baked in a fox color while the contents of the roll are simultaneously warmed.

The grill on which the rolls are cooked is combined with a mechanism (5) which transports the rolls to the resulting space when the door located in front of the machine is opened, Allows the user to remove the roll and prevent access to the oven.

However, and according to the variant shown in FIG. 6, it is foreseen that the oven should comprise a single oven, which oven is indicated in the figure by the reference numeral (6), This is shown in detail in FIGS. At the lower end of the rack there is a pair of gears (8) that act as positioners for the ends of the conveyor belt (9), the conveyor belt is clearly double and a large number of sideways trays (
10), and the rolls corresponding to the trays are arranged. This conveyor belt is closed with the help of another pair of gears (11), which gears are racks (7).
On the opposite side and in particular at a very high position as shown in FIG. 8, so that the conveyor belts follow the obtuse angle route as shown in FIG. Cooperating with an upper arcuate rail (12) which is present and at the same time another lower rail (13) which acts as a tensioner.

As already explained, the rolls are placed on the tray (10) and the rack (7
), Passing through two infrared resistors, the infrared resistors being fixed on a pair of corresponding transverse supports (14), each support being shown in FIG. Thus, a tubular neck having a side wall (16) and a shield (15) secured to a corresponding rack (7) in the oven, and corresponding to its own number (14), is shown in the figure. Not supporting the corresponding electrical resistor.

As can be seen from the observation of FIG. 8, in the preferred embodiment chosen, each roll passes over four evenly distributed infrared resistors and below three upper resistors. From reaching the curved region defined by the rails (12), the roll remains in close proximity with the last of the upper resistors for a large part of the ascending route, after which it reaches the upper final gear (11), Due to the bending of the upper chain (19), each tray (1
0) discharges the corresponding roll onto the exit ramp (17).

The resistor is covered and protected on the upper side by a lid (18), which cooperates with the side wall (16) in the aforementioned closure and extends to the transport unit (19) on which the individual The roll is placed to be heated. By using the motor (20) the transport unit is moved, so that each roll is placed on the corresponding tray (10) and perfectly synchronized with the conveyor belt (9), which in turn is assisted by a synchronous motor.

Lastly, it should be pointed out that there is a gas release grid (21) below the transport unit (19) and a bun litter below the conveyor belt (9) with a tray (10). There is a tray (22) for collecting the food, which is accessible through a door (23), which is located on the edge of the oven corresponding to the ramp (17) where hot rolls are discharged. And it is located under the above-mentioned slope.

[Brief description of drawings]

1a and 1b show the appearance of the machine with its main components and shape highlighted, with the door being closed in the first view and the door being open in the second view, According to a first form of embodiment, the machine comprises two simple ovens.

FIG. 2 is a storage support mechanism that incorporates multiple rolls and illustrates how the rolls are stored.

FIG. 3 shows details of the hopper, the tubular transport element and the passage leading to the oven.

FIG. 4 shows the inside of the oven, which incorporates a grill and rolls.

FIG. 5 shows a structure for pulling out a roll and a door.

FIG. 6 shows a representation similar to that of FIG. 1b, where the machine comprises a continuous oven, which is foreseen as a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows, in schematic perspective, an oven for rolls, which oven is made in accordance with the objects of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial side view of the oven.

FIG. 9 shows details of a conveyor belt associated with the oven of FIGS. 6-8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective detail view of an example of a support for an infrared resistor.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), OA (BF , BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, G M, KE, LS, MW, MZ, SD, SL, SZ, TZ , UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, B Z, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK , DM, DZ, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, J P, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR , LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ, PL, PT, R O, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ , TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72) Inventor Enrique Pass Domonte             Spain, E-36860 Ponteareas, Sa             Ntana 21, Portal 3, Segundo He F-term (reference) 3E046 BA06 BB02 CA13 CB01 CC01                       DA01 EA13 EB01 FA01 GA08

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for hot rolls, wherein the rolls are pre-manufactured, the bread is not cooked and is wrapped in a bag of heat-resistant plastic filled with an inert gas. It is kept refrigerated. The feature of this machine is that it has a refrigerator area similar to a refrigerator in the upper rear part, where there are various storage trays (1) for the rolls, each tray being embodied on one spiral (1a), The helix (1a is located on the vertical axis of the helix and is confined between the vertical sidewalls.
) Is intended to receive a roll between adjacent helices in a helix, and the helix is assisted by a geared motor (1b), which can rotate the helix about its own axis, Thus, on each rotation, one roll stored in the corresponding support is discharged and fed to at least one bottom oven, which serves for cooking and baking the bun and heating the filling in the roll. A vending machine that can be terminated and the machine is equipped with a mechanism (5) to allow the roll to be removed from the oven without access to the oven. 2. Vending machine for hot rolls according to claim 1, in case the machine is equipped with two ovens (2) below the store support (1),
There is a hopper leading to one element (4), this element consisting of a hollow, cylindrical rotating element and two end stops assisted by one geared motor, the surface of which is at least for rolls. It is characterized by having one space. The vending machine is arranged such that the cylinder can direct the space towards the bottom of the hopper in the refrigeration area or to any passage communicating with the oven (2). 3. Vending machine for hot rolls according to claim 1, preferably comprising a single oven (6) inside which conveyor belts are arranged on a rack (7). The conveyor belt is equipped with various trays (10) supporting individual rolls. The upper and actuating portion of belt (9) passes through two pairs of infrared resistors located on each pair of lateral supports (14), so that one pair of resistors actuates conveyor belt (9). Located above the part and the other below. Said conveyor belt is curved blunt and rounded at the outlet and pushed by the arcuate rails (12), (13), which have a tensioner function,
A machine as a result of which the working part of the conveyor belt (9) is initially curved and follows a final route of rising, so that the proximity with the last infrared resistor is maintained for a longer time. 4. A vending machine for hot rolls according to claim 3, wherein the conveyor belt (9) is arranged on gears (8), (11), the gear (8) comprising a motor (20). In response to the movement, the motor moves in parallel and synchronously with the transport unit (19), the transport unit being assisted by its own motor to receive the individual rolls for heating and the individual trays of the conveyor belt (9). (10) A vending machine characterized by being held accurately on top. 5. Vending machine for hot rolls according to claims 3 and 4, wherein the oven is located directly behind the transport unit (19) on the side wall (16) and the top lid (18).
And a grid (21) for exhausting gas, a ramp (17) at the upper end of the other end where the hot roll comes out, and a lift door (23) below the ramp (17). A vending machine, characterized in that the lift door is located below the conveyor belt (9) and allows access to the tray for collecting the bread crumbs (22).